It was reported that ArcelorMittal USA announced its decision of the dismissal of 877 employees in the steel plant in East Chicago last Saturday (August 1).

ArcelorMittal mentioned that the decreased steel demand caused by the COVID-19 epidemic drove them to make this tough decision. Even though they had tried hard to catch up on the resumption of operations, the business conditions were still bad.

Although the employees had been permanently laid off, some of them were still hoping to return to work when the situation became better. The "lay-off-plan" might extend over 6 months.